LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The Intimate Ellington gives us glimpses of the composer at work, trying out new music or new approaches to items from his classic repertoire. Made up of pieces taped by Ellington at private recording sessions over two years in the late 1960s and early '70s, the album presents Ellington the pianist filling solo time that would be assigned to band members when the arrangements made their way into the permanent book. If some of the music has the air of the casual rehearsal, it is nonetheless full of first-rate solos by Ellington, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Cootie Williams, Wild Bill Davis, and many others. Moon Maiden, Edward the First, Symphonette, Intimate Interlude, Some Summer Fun, Layin' On Mellow, Eulb, Tenz, I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good), Sophisticated Lady, Edward the Secondwith Cat Anderson, Harold Ashby, Joe Benjamin, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Chuck Connors, Willie Cook, Mercer Ellington, Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges, Money Johnson, Rufus Jones, Julian Priester, Russell Procope, Al Rubin, Cootie Williams, and others